


Pep

by RadarsTeddyBear



Series: Ducktober 2018 [17]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Fictober, Gen, Soda Addiction, prompt: withdrawal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 04:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16340093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RadarsTeddyBear/pseuds/RadarsTeddyBear
Summary: Mrs. Beakley stops buying Pep.  Louie is not exactly happy about it.





	Pep

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: ["Withdrawal"](http://radarsteddybear.tumblr.com/post/169006603389/whumpreads-i-dont-draw-but-ive-been-thinking).

Louie looked at the clock.  It was finally past 11, which meant it was about the earliest that he could get away with having a soda.  So he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge…

...and, to his horror, he discovered that there was _no Pep_.  

He went to the pantry, where Mrs. Beakley kept the extra Pep that she refused to keep in the fridge (despite Louie’s protests that Pep had to be continuously refrigerated to maintain its full taste and carbonation).  

But there wasn’t any Pep there, either.

“Mrs. B., we need more Pep!” Louie called out.  Maybe he could convince Launchpad to drive him over to the Money Bin so he could buy some from the vending machine.  And lend him a few dimes; he was out.

“Mr. McDuck and I have decided that we’re not buying Pep anymore,” Mrs. Beakley said, coming into the kitchen with a laundry basket full of clean dish towels.  “You can have juice, milk, or water.”

“What?  No more Pep?” Louie said.  “Why not?”

“Your uncle was going over his finances and determined that the amount of money he spends on Pep is, in his words, “absolutely ridiculous,” and that “the boys can do without.”  

“But he’s the richest duck in the world!  He can afford a little soda!”

“He didn’t get that way by spending his money on frivolities.”  Mrs. Beakley finished putting the clean dish towels away and started gathering up the dirty ones.  “Frankly, you should be glad that that’s one of the only things he decided to stop buying.”

Louie felt his world spiraling out of control.  “But I _need_ it!”

“Nobody _needs_ soda,” Mrs. Beakley said, placing the last dirty dish towel in her basket.  She picked up the basket and left the room.

Louie dejectedly dragged himself back in front of the TV and flopped on the floor.  Which is where his brothers found him about five and a half episodes of _Ottoman Empire_ later.

“What’s up?” Huey said as Dewey hopped on the couch and grabbed the remote.

“Mrs. Beakley isn’t going to buy Pep anymore,” Louie said, throwing an arm over his eyes.

“That sucks.  Hey, do you mind if I change the channel?” Dewey said.

“I don’t care,” Louie said.

Huey felt his brother’s forehead.  “Dude, you’re all warm and sweaty.”

“I haven’t had Pep since _yesterday_ ,” Louie said.

“You're fine.”

“Hold on a second.  I think he has a point,” Dewey said, hopping back off the couch and taking his Professor Dewford stance and pacing the floor.  “His body’s used to having Pep every day, right? So it’s not fair for Mrs. Beakley to make him quit cold chicken!”

“Cold turkey,” Huey corrected, and then turned to Louie.  “Are you having any symptoms?”

Louie groaned.  “Everything is terrible,” he said.

“Sounds pretty normal to me.”

“No, you just have to ask better questions.”  Dewey thought for a moment. “What are the symptoms of withdrawal?”

“It depends on the thing that you’re quitting.”

“Then what are the symptoms of Pep withdrawal?”

Huey sighed and took his Junior Woodchucks Guidebook from his hat.  He flipped through until he found the right page. “It says here that sugar withdrawal can result in headaches, cravings, muscle aches, chills, mood changes, and nausea, and,” Huey flipped a couple of pages ahead, “caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches, fatigue, anxiety, trouble concentrating, and irritability.”

“Yep.  Definitely got the headache,” Louie said.

“Anything else?” Huey asked.

Louie shrugged.  “Not yet.”

“You’ll live,” Huey said, snapping the JWG shut.

“But I don’t want to live without Pep!” Louie said, rolling over onto his stomach to punctuate his point.

“Ok, now you’re just being overdramatic.”

“Coming from Dewey, that means a lot.”

“You guys are so lucky I can’t reach anything to throw at you,” Louie said.

Webby appeared in the doorway.  “Hey, do you guys want to go swimming out back?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Dewey.

“I’m in,” said Huey, and they started to leave the room.

Dewey turned around to Louie.  “You coming?”

Louie sighed.  “Yeah, I guess,” he said.  He made a big show of peeling himself off the floor and followed them out.


End file.
